Even As a Freshman, Pasadenan Tyler Vaughns is USC Trojan Football Standout

Published : Tuesday, October 10, 2017 | 5:23 AM

Tyler Vaughns in action. Image: USC

Pasadena resident Tyler Vaughns is steadily getting the attention he deserves as a USC Trojan standout, especially after his performance last Saturday when the Trojans rolled over Oregon State, 38-10.

Already raising eyebrows for his efforts during the previous week’s loss to Washington State, 30-27, Tyler showed even more agility when he caught Sam Darnold’s pass after slipping past the safety for a 37-yard touchdown and the Trojans’ first score in the victory over Oregon.

Vaughns, a redshirt freshman, was USC’s leading receiver for the second game in a row, catching five passes for 68 yards.

Darnold said he was confident throwing to Vaughns, seeing how the 19-year-old Pasadenan played at Washington State.

The 14th-ranked Trojans improved to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the Pac-12 after beating Oregon.

Vaughns has been showing a lot of confidence since spring practice saying he’s been learning from his coaches and the “older guys” in the team and “seeing how it’s just not about running route, it’s about doing the little things, the simple things.”

“Coach Baxter always tells us ‘do simple better.’ So I mean, just going out there and perfecting every little detail and every area of the field is a great thing to do,” Vaughns said in April. “Confidence has always been high, I’ve just been waiting for the opportunity and when the opportunity presents itself I just have to make the plays and just do my job.”

Although Vaughns lives in Pasadena, he did attend a Pasadena school for his high school education and football. He attended Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente – about 22 miles away from Pasadena.

When he announced his commitment to USC in 2015, he was six foot two inches tall and 170 pounds and has been making unofficial visits to USC the previous two years.